Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller

Kerri Miller Podcast Tile
Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller
MPR News

Where readers meet writers, Fridays at 11 a.m. Listen live or stream later on your favorite podcast app.

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Books Coverage: The Thread | About: Kerri Miller

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A fight for the soul of the Southern Baptist Convention
America’s largest Protestant denomination is embroiled in controversy as it holds its national convention this week. Issues of race and leftward drift will dominate. Will sexual abuse survivors, who are still waiting for the church to respond in a substantial way to their pleas, be ignored again?
The decline of the classic American teen summer job
The traditional summer job for teens has been on the decline since its late 1970s peak. In the years since, the employment rate among teens has maintained its downward trend. Aside from the economic downturn brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, what has accounted for the changes in teen employment? 
What do we really know about UFOs?
The Department of Defense revived an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Task Force to gather what is known about UAPs. The task force’s assessment is due to Congress by June 25. On Thursday, host Kerri Miller explored the possibilities with two experts: an astrophysicist and a conspiracy theory debunker.
Debt relief for Black farmers and other farmers of color
This month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is poised to give money to farmers of color for debt relief. Some say it’s an unfair stimulus. Others say it’s a much-needed form of reparations, after decades of systemic discrimination.
How to talk to kids about weight
Well-intended strategies to help kids shed pounds often backfire. New research says there’s a better way. 
Traveling this summer? Here’s what you need to know about getting away in a post-pandemic world
After a year of staying at home due to COVID-19, vaccinated Americans are eager to hit the road again. But travel has changed since pre-pandemic days, and experts say many of those changes — for better or worse — are here to stay.
Ecologist Suzanne Simard on understanding the wisdom of forests
Ecologist Suzanne Simard talked with host Kerri Miller about her new book “Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest” and what humans can learn from the way trees cooperate and communicate with other plants.
Can a U.S. intelligence probe unearth the origin of COVID-19?
President Biden last week asked the U.S. intelligence community to “redouble their efforts” to bring the nation closer to understanding the origin of COVID-19, giving them 90 days to gather information. Two infectious disease physicians discussed why it is important to find the origin of COVID-19 and what we can reasonably expect in that time frame.